The pond
by Seth Fox
Summary: Neji has something on his mind that is keeping him up at night. He wanders out into the gardens of the main house and contemplates his past mistakes. Then Shikamaru comes along. NejiShika, fluff
1. The pond

_© Characters: Masashi Kishimoto_

_© Story: Sethfox/Mrfox_

**The pond**

Night-time is quiet and peaceful for most. It is a time for rest and relaxation, for sleep and pleasant dreams. For Neji however, it was mostly a time of melancholy. He was a very light sleeper, and once roused from his sleep he found it hard to find rest again. Thus he spent many nights just sitting up and thinking. On nights like those, the walls of his room seemed to cave in on him and the air would feel as thick as mud. So on nights like those, Neji would escape outside and wander through the gardens of the main house for hours on end, always just thinking about life.

On this particular night, Neji sat by the pond in the garden which was the farthest away from the main house, and hidden from view by bushes and trees. He sat down on a rock and stared silently at the reflection of the nearly full moon in the water.

This was where it had all happened, he reminded himself. This was where Hinata started training herself when her father and cousin neglected her and decided that she was worthless. Here she had danced, night upon night, until she had acquired the skill that she needed to make her family finally notice her.

Neji hung his head in shame. He had taken part in the ruining of Hinata's life, and for that, he could never forgive himself. He had almost killed her, too, all those years before at the chuunin exams. He was so grateful now that he had not given in to his rage and desire for revenge. His cousin had turned out to be the person he depended on the most, nowadays.

"This is where she learned to dance, isn't it?" A soft voice spoke behind Neji.

Neji gave a violent start; he had not heard or sensed the other's arrival. He spun around, a kunai at the ready, but his hand was stopped by the other's, and a pair of chocolate brown eyes looked straight into his.

"Shikamaru." Neji breathed, and lowered the kunai. He looked away from the other and stared once more at the water, which was very still. "Yes. This is the place."

"Remarkable, don't you think?" Shikamaru sat down next to Neji and looked at the pond. "That such a quiet, peaceful place brought forth that enormous amount of power."

Neji smiled sadly. "It is remarkable, as you say." He muttered. "But it could have been avoided; you know that." He sighed. "And the blame, of course, lies with me. You see that too, don't you?"

"Yes." Shikamaru said. "I do. But consider this. Would she have been as brave as she is now, had Hiashi-sama taken the time to put her through the same training he gave you? Would she have been as independent as she is now?"

Surprised, Neji looked up. Shikamaru pretended not to notice, and continued talking. "She would never have gotten the courage because it would have been forced. By teaching herself, she found the guts she never knew she had. That's why you shouldn't blame yourself. It is better this way."

Neji felt a sudden surge of gratitude for the other man. He glanced at Shikamaru's reflection in the water, and noticed that the other was looking directly at his face. Neji looked away again. Then he realized something.

"Shikamaru," he asked, "Why exactly did you come to the main house in the middle of the night?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "I came to see you about the tactical details of an oncoming mission in the land of water." He replied. "Apparently, Tsunade-sama wants me to get your opinion on this case, since it is extremely dangerous."

"And Tsunade-sama demanded this of you in the middle of the night?"Neji asked, one eyebrow skeptically raised.

"No." Shikamaru replied. "But it took me until now to get a hold of you. You've been gone this entire day, and I figured you would spend the night at home, so I came to see you here." He sighed. "I know you don't sleep much."

Once again, Neji was startled. "How did you know that?" He asked. "I know my work isn't suffering from it."

"No, it isn't." Shikamaru said. "But you are."

"What makes you say that?" Neji asked calmly. He casually placed his hands on his knees to stop them from shaking. Would Shikamaru ever stop taking him by surprise?

Shikamaru stared at the moon's reflection and thought for a while before speaking. "You," he said, "Are like this pond. When people look at you, they see an impeccable, blank surface that reflects everything. Talking to you in-depth means that they have to look at themselves, and since people don't like that, no one gets close to you. Not because of you, but because you reflect everything. Meanwhile, you effectively shield your own emotions from view."

He took a deep breath and gestured to the water. "That pond is a lot deeper than you'd think right now." He said. "But you can't see the bottom because it reflects everything around it and unconsciously uses the reflection to block the view. It's just like that with you. You shield yourself from view behind a reflection of other people's emotions. One doesn't do that if he or she isn't hiding something. I've been with you on missions, and I know that you often get up in the middle of the night and stay awake for hours.

This lack of sleep could have several different reasons, but seeing as it's you, I figured it must be something personal, something you wouldn't want others to suspect. Therefore you give up your night's rest to think about it, and as you find no solution, your one problem has evolved into two problems; lack of sleep and no solution to your problem."

"You should be a psychologist, not a ninja." Neji growled. "You didn't have to perform psychoanalysis on me. Yes, you are right, something is troubling me."

Shikamaru smiled. "Like I said. I figured as much."

Neji scowled. "But why are you telling me this? Are you expecting me to tell you what's wrong?"

"I am not expecting anything." Shikamaru replied. "I am asking you."

This answer did surprise Neji, although he had a feeling that he should have seen it coming. Most people approached him carefully and used subtle hints to try and get him to talk, but Shikamaru had realized that Neji would ignore that and had thus chosen a more direct approach. Neji almost smiled. The other genius was indeed a formidable opponent.

"It is a rather personal thing." Neji said. "I don't think either of us will benefit from it if I tell you."

"I rather think that both of us might." Shikamaru countered. "Speaking about problems often gives you new insights, and you might find it comforting to have someone at your back, even if it's just me." He smiled sadly at Neji. "I don't like seeing you torture yourself." He said.

Neji sighed. "I am surely going to regret this." He said, "But I agree with your point. If there were anyone I could trust, I am sure it is you. I trust you can keep a secret?"

"Naturally." Shikamaru replied.

Neji took a deep breath. This was it. He would have to be very careful that Shikamaru didn't pick up any hint from him. "I... I recently discovered that I am gay." He said, "And that I have fallen in love with another man. But I cannot tell him this, as he is most probably straight. Yet I cannot forget him, no matter how hard I try. That's what keeps me up at night."

Now that he had actually said it out loud, he felt a lot better, he noticed. But now he was nervous about Shikamaru's reaction. The other hadn't said anything yet. Neji stared at their reflection in the water, unsure if he should say anything else. As long as Shikamaru didn't realize that he was the one Neji had spoken of, everything would be fine, Neji reasoned with himself.

Shikamaru stayed quiet for a short while. This news hadn't been a complete shock to him, but it had been a pleasant surprise. When he spoke again, his voice was soft and very calm. "You know, I've had exactly the same doubts you are having right now." He said. "But I realized that there is no way of getting over a man until he flat-out refuses you, proves that he is straight or accepts you. I think you should just go talk to him. You might find him more interested than you thought, and if not you will have an answer and you will be able to move on with your life."

Neji considered this, and found that he agreed and that he was glad that he told Shikamaru what was wrong with him. But now, a second problem presented itself. How was Neji going to tell the other that he was the object of his affections?

Neji stared at the water and thought of Shikamaru's words about him, a few minutes before. The other had observed him well; obviously he cared for Neji, if only as a friend. Then he thought of the great courage this same water had given his cousin. She had given herself a chance to follow her own path. It was high time that Neji started doing the same.

He turned around to face Shikamaru. "Following your advice," He said, "There is something I have to tell you."

Shikamaru smiled and leaned in closer to Neji, until their noses almost touched. "I think," he whispered, "That I know what you're going to say..."

A soft breeze stirred up the water of the pond, sending ripples across the carefully arranged reflections. While it stilled, a glimpse of its true nature could be caught; a gentle lover, a grateful friend, and the last droplet to tip the scale...

~Fin


	2. A midnight swim

**A midnight swim**

___ Story: __Seth_

___ Characters: Masashi Kishimoto_

_He turned around to face Shikamaru. "Following your advice," He said, "There is something I have to tell you."_

Shikamaru smiled and leaned in closer to Neji, until their noses almost touched. "I think," he whispered, "That I know what you're going to say..."

A soft breeze stirred up the water of the pond, sending ripples across the carefully arranged reflections. While it stilled, a glimpse of its true nature could be caught; a gentle lover, a grateful friend, and the last droplet to tip the scale...

Shikamaru pushed Neji down onto the cold rocks and kissed the tip of his nose. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for you to say that." He muttered.

Neji was still a bit dazzled by the turn that the events had taken, but he was not about to complain. Instead he pulled Shikamaru closed to him, so that his body rested on Neji's. "I'm so glad that you're not rejecting me." he whispered. "You have no idea."

Shikamaru stroked the hair away from Neji's face and smiled at him from his position on the older man's chest. "Guess again, Hyuuga." He said. "I've been dropping subtle hints that I like you for over a year. I'm surprised that you didn't even pick up one."

Neji's eyes widened and he thought back to all the things he and Shikamaru had done together. All those missions, all those times he'd thought Shikamaru was after one of their female team-mates... He fought the urge to slap himself in the face. How stupid he had been. But then again, everything was obvious in hindsight.

With a sigh he closed his eyes. "What a fool I have been." He muttered. "Forgive me for disappointing you all of this time..."

Shikamaru shook his head and kissed Neji's lips tenderly. "Don't worry, I didn't mind the wait." He said. "Falling in love with someone else was too troublesome anyway."

Neji chuckled and was about to reply when they heard footsteps near their hiding place. "Neji-niisan?" Hinata's voice spoke in the dark. "Are you here?"

"Shit!" Neji whispered and shot up from the rock. Shikamaru, who was still on top of him, didn't expect this and rolled off of the rock and straight into the pond. Sadly, his legs were still intertwined with Neji's.

Neji felt a tug at his legs, and before he knew it he was falling down on top of his new-found boyfriend. Dripping wet and coughing loudly he emerged from the water, pulling Shikamaru up with him. "Hi-Hinata-sama!" He said hurriedly. "What are you doing up at this time of the night? You should be asleep!"

Hinata emerged from the bushes to the side of the pond and saw her cousin sitting indignantly in the shallow end of the pond, next to Shikamaru who was laughing so hard that he nearly choked on it. She raised an eyebrow. "I came to find where you ran off to in the middle of the night, but it seems that I am interrupting something."

Neji's face turned beet-red and he was about to stammer something when Shikamaru interrupted. "My apologies, Hinata-san, but I'm afraid that this is entirely my fault." He said.  
"I needed to see Neji about an urgent mission, so I invited him along to talk somewhere private. Just now I slipped on this rock and accidentally pulled your cousin along for a midnight swim."

Hinata chuckled. "So I see." she said. "You two should change into something dry, it's too cold to stay out in wet clothing. Neji will lend you some of his clothes."

Shikamaru graciously offered Neji his hand and pulled the speechless Hyuuga out of the water and winked at him. "I have no doubt," He said, "that he'll be very glad to invite me in and get us out of these clothes."

-the end-


	3. Warmth

**Warmth**

© Story: Seth

© Characters: Masashi Kishimoto

_Neji's face turned beet-red and he was about to stammer something when Shikamaru interrupted. "My apologies, Hinata-san, but I'm afraid that this is entirely my fault." He said.  
"I needed to see Neji about an urgent mission, so I invited him along to talk somewhere private. Just now I slipped on this rock and accidentally pulled your cousin along for a midnight swim."_

Hinata chuckled. "So I see." she said. "You two should change into something dry, it's too cold to stay out in wet clothing. Neji will lend you some of his clothes."

Shikamaru graciously offered Neji his hand and pulled the speechless Hyuuga out of the water and winked at him. "I have no doubt," He said, "that he'll be very glad to invite me in and get us out of these clothes." 

Neji's blush darkened even more and he quickly pulled Shikamaru up and dragged him along to the house, leaving a chuckling Hinata behind.

If Neji had thought this through for only a moment, he would have known that Hinata already knew what had happened between him and Shikamaru, were it by using her byakugan to see if he was around or by the way he held the other boy's hand. As it was, however, he was too embarrassed to think about such things.

"You jerk!" he hissed to Shikamaru as he pulled the younger man along. "What if she had picked up on that hint? She would definitely found out about us!"

Shikamaru sighed. "For a genius, you can be fairly clueless, Neji." he said. "She already knew about it before we saw her just now."

Neji stopped abruptly and turned to Shikamaru. "Why would you think that?" He asked incredulously. "She didn't see us on the rock together, right?"

Shikamaru grinned. "Ah, but still she knew." He said. "Think about it. If you were looking for someone, what would the first thing you'd look for?"

"Their chakra signature." Neji replied immediately, "But why..."

Realisation hit him like a brick in the face. "Oh no..." He groaned. "Damn byakugan. But now what? She will definitely tell uncle about us, and then it's all over..."

"I don't think she will." Shikamaru said thoughtfully, and urged Neji on to keep walking. "I knew that she knew, and she knew that I knew it. Yet she still accepted my excuse about me slipping and falling, even though most ninjas would never be stupid enough to slip on such a broad surface. No, I think she realised that we wanted to keep things to ourselves for a while, and accepted this. That's why she didn't ask."

Neji raised an eyebrow at Shikamaru, but there wasn't anything he could think to say that would oppose such a theory. He sighed. It hadn't even been an hour, but he was already sure that it would be -to use Shikamaru's words- troublesome to have a genius for a boyfriend.

As if he had read Neji's thoughts, Shikamaru grinned and ruffled the older man's hair. "Don't worry, I'm not like this all the time." He said. "Only when I need to be. Don't worry, I'm sure our secret is safe with your cousin."

They had almost reached the mansion by this time, so they both kept quiet until they had emerged from the maze of hallways and corners and safely reached Neji's room. Neji closed the door behind them with a sigh and walked over to his closet. "You're taller than me, so I'm not sure if my clothes will fit you." He said, "But it's all I have."

Shikamaru wrapped his arms around Neji from behind and kissed his wet hair. "I'm sure I can manage to walk home wearing something that is slightly small on me, don't you worry." He said.

Neji shivered at the touch, but, conscious as he was of his environment, pushed Shikamaru away and threw a pair of pants and a shirt in his direction.

Shikamaru caught them gracefully, but missed the towel which followed, so that it ended up draped over his face in a very ungraceful manner. "Why thank you, I love you too." He muttered. He placed the towel on Neji's desk, near which he was now standing, placed the clothing next to it and began to strip out of his wet clothes.

When Neji turned around to face Shikamaru, he was confronted with a very interesting view; Shikamaru's ass. Shikamaru, who had been in the process of taking his shoes off, straightened his back and kicked his shoes off. The tanned man grinned at Neji and started pulling up his shirt.

Neji could but stare as the other unabashedly removed first his shirt and then his pants, leaving him in only his underwear. Shikamaru stretched his back and groaned. "I had no idea I was this cold until I took my clothes off." he said, and shivered. "Why are you still dressed, anyway?"

He got no verbal reply as Neji pulled him closer and hugged the younger man close to him. Shikamaru laughed. "Why Neji, did I excite you this much? Next time I'll put in an effort."

"Shut up." Neji mumbled. "I'm just glad that you're with me now, okay?"

Shikamaru hugged Neji back. "So am I." He said. "But no matter how much I hate pointing this out... you're still wearing wet clothing and I'm freezing my ass off here. Would you mind to continue this conversation either during a hot shower or when wearing something dry?"

Without another word, Neji pulled him along to the bathroom.

As soon as he turned the shower on, the entire bathroom was filled with the noise of falling water. This comforted Neji; at least this way, no one would be able to hear what was going on in there if they weren't too noisy. He glanced at Shikamaru, who was looking at him expectantly and looked away quickly. "Would you mind not staring at me?" Neji mumbled. "I'm not really comfortable with that yet."

Shikamaru chuckled. "And yet you do me the favour of staring at me when I so much as take my shirt off." He kissed Neji on the tip of his nose. "You little hypocrite." He whispered. Without further ado he turned his back to Neji, dropped his underwear and stepped into the shower, closing the curtain behind him.

Neji swallowed loudly and slowly started taking his wet robes off. When he was completely naked he gathered up all of his courage, opened the shower curtain just a crack and slipped in behind Shikamaru.

The younger man didn't turn around when Neji entered, but when he felt Neji's hands encircling his waist and a soft cheek pressing against his back he couldn't fight back the grin that appeared on his face. So Neji was actually very shy. Interesting... Shikamaru registered this fact and stored it away for use in the future.

Neji felt Shikamaru's chest rumble when he laughed, and decided that he liked that feeling. "So you're not disappointed?" He muttered against Shikamaru's tanned skin.

Shikamaru shook his head. "How could I be disappointed?" He asked. "I had set out with the intention to tell you about my feelings and I was fully prepared to be rejected and maybe punched in the face as an added bonus; how can I be disappointed when I end up standing next to you in the shower instead?"

Neji chuckled as well. "Fair point." He admitted. He let go of Shikamaru and reached up to the pull the elastic band from Shikamaru's hair.

Shikamaru, who hadn't even noticed that he'd forgotten to take it down, was surprised by Neji's action. He turned around to face Neji and raised an eyebrow. Neji shrugged. "I wanted to see what you look like with your hair down." He muttered and averted his eyes.

Shikamaru grinned. "Then look at it, because leaving it down all day is too troublesome." He said. Neji, however, had suddenly discovered that he was also interested in an entirely different part of Shikamaru's anatomy and tried his best not to stare at it too blatantly.

Shikamaru followed Neji's gaze and blushed slightly. "Ah, that." He said and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, but when we fell earlier you landed on top of me and just now you looked so cute and-"

Neji put a finger to his boyfriend's lips and cut off the embarrassed stream of words. "I'm honoured." He said, "so stop being embarrassed already, you troublesome boyfriend."

Shikamaru sighed. "And now you're stealing my word." He said, but smiled none the less. "I'm so glad that we spoke to each other tonight." He sighed and hugged Neji close to him.

Neji felt a shiver run up his spine and nodded wordlessly. The water cascaded down their bodies and enveloped them in a safe cocoon of warmth, of privacy that couldn't be broken. They said nothing, they didn't move; they just stood there together and enjoyed being close to each other.

To be continued...


	4. The mission

**The mission**

© Story: Seth

© Characters: Masashi Kishimoto

_Shikamaru sighed. "And now you're stealing my word." He said, but smiled none the less. "I'm so glad that we spoke to each other tonight." He sighed and hugged Neji close to him. _

_Neji felt a shiver run up his spine and nodded wordlessly. The water cascaded down their bodies and enveloped them in a safe cocoon of warmth, one that couldn't be broken. They said nothing, they didn't move; they just stood there together and enjoyed being close to each other._

Neji was running through the woods, cursing under his breath, trying to catch up with his team-mates. They were taking a client across enemy territory, so they had to be quiet and discreet, but with their client complaining loudly they had attracted the enemy's attention and now they had to run for it. Neji was the last in their line, so he had been the one to fight off the pursuers when they came. He had managed to defeat three of them quite easily, but the fourth caught him by surprise. He winced as he touched his upper leg, where the enemy's knife had left a rather large scratch. He'd have to get someone in his team to look at that tonight.

When they stopped to rest, the night was nearly upon them. Neji scanned the area with his Byakugan. "There is no one in the vicinity." He reported. "Only animals, none of which appear to be summons. I think we'll be safe here for the night."

Shikamaru, who had been appointed as team captain, sighed in relief and turned to the others. "We will set up camp here." He said. "Under those trees; we will be nearly invisible for anyone passing by and we will be able to set up a few traps for safety." He turned to his team-mates. "Ino, you and me will set up the tents. Chouji takes care of food for everyone. Neji and Ten-ten are in charge of the traps, and Lee will stay with our client."

With curt nods, the ninjas set to work. Shikamaru stayed behind with Lee and their client and smiled at the young woman. "I trust that you have learned to keep quiet, Suzaki-san." He said politely.

The girl snorted. "Whatever, you stupid team captain. I don't have to listen to you."

Shikamaru groaned. "Troublesome." he muttered. "You might want to listen if you don't want to die."

The girl was about to reply when Neji and Ten-ten appeared. Ten-ten was dragging Neji along by his ear, while Neji was protesting firmly but quietly. "It's okay Ten-ten, really. It can wait until we finish setting up camp."

"It most certainly can not." Ten-ten snapped. "Shikamaru, Neji got hurt fighting off our pursuers. We should have Ino take a look at it. I'll help with the tents."

Shikamaru's head swirled. Neji had gotten hurt and he hadn't noticed? He nodded curtly at Ten-ten. "I'll go get her." he said, and returned with Ino moments later. Neji glared angrily at his team-mate. "Damn it Ten-ten, I said I am fine! Stop pushing m-AH!"

Ino had touched the wound on Neji's leg carefully, and Neji winced in pain. Ino glared at the long-haired man in front of her. "You call that 'being fine'?" She growled. "You will let me treat you right now."

Ten-ten, satisfied that her team-mate was in good hands, went to take over Ino's job. Shikamaru, however, stayed with Neji and Ino, following them wordlessly to a partly-secluded area, out of view of their client and team-mates. Ino turned to Neji. "Drop the pants and sit down on that rock, please." She said as she began removing the tools she would need from her hip-pouch.

When Neji did not do as she asked, she fixed him with a pointed stare. "Was I not clear enough?" She asked, a dangerous undertone in her voice. "Take off your pants and sit down. I have to work fast, because it's getting dark and we can't use light out here, or we'll draw too much attention to ourselves."

Neji blushed lightly. "Is that absolutely necessary?" He asked in a small voice. "You can reach it. The cloth is all torn anyway."

Ino sighed. "I can reach it, but I can't inspect the area near it for traces of poison, which is absolutely necessary, yes." She met Neji's gaze and sighed again. "I won't do anything indecent, Neji. I'm a medic. I'm used to seeing people in their underwear."

Neji sighed too. "I know that." He said. "It is not your discretion I worry about." He glanced at Shikamaru. Ino followed Neji's gaze and clacked her tongue. "Shikamaru, he'll be fine. Get lost, you're making him uncomfortable."

Shikamaru flinched. Was he truly what was bothering Neji? Before he could leave, however, Neji interrupted. "No, it's not his fault, Ino. I am not used to it, that is all. I will have to get used to it." He glanced up shyly at his boyfriend. "And Shikamaru can stay. He has been a good distraction to me before, and since you are doubtlessly going to hurt me, a distraction seems most welcome."

Shikamaru relaxed a little and approached while Neji stood to take his pants off carefully. Ino had wisely turned her back at this point. By the time she turned back around, Neji was sitting on the rock and Shikamaru was sitting besides him, studying the cut on his lover's leg with morbid curiosity. Neji fidgeted and blushed a darker shade of red. "Can we get this over with? I find it highly uncomfortable." He muttered, staring at his hands that rested on his knees.

Ino traced a finer along the cut and prodded at it. Her eyes widened and she looked up at Neji incredulously. "You are a lucky man, Hyuuga Neji." She muttered. "There is a piece of the blade stuck in the wound, but amazingly enough it doesn't seem to have done any serious damage. I will, however, have to extract it from the wound. And that will hurt you. A lot."

Neji swallowed audibly, but nodded. "Get it over with." He said. "I am used to pain."

Ino nodded, pulled out a pair of pincers and set to work. Neji smothered the first cry by biting his lip. Shikamaru heard, grabbed Neji's hand from his knee and allowed the other to squeeze his hand while Ino worked.

He saw Neji's jaw clench and he saw all of the muscles in his boyfriend's body tense. Neji made no sound at all; he just squeezed Shikamaru's hand really hard and closed his eyes tightly. Shikamaru admired him for his courage. But as he looked at Neji's face, contorted with pain, his treacherous mind wouldn't stop assaulting him with the thought that it would be better if that face was contorting in pleasure, and that Shikamaru should to be the one to cause it.

He tried to shake the thoughts, but then he couldn't help but notice Neji's long, slender legs and his soft, pale skin. He couldn't just ignore the way Neji's black boxers were a bit too tight on Neji's ass, or the way Neji's back arched whenever something hurt him. Shikamaru gulped and forced his mind to think of Asuma-sensei in a speedo.

Two minutes later, all the feeling had left Shikamaru's hand, and Ino dropped the piece of metal on the ground. "There you have it." She said. "Now I'll just desinfect and bandage it and then you're free to go."

With some difficulty, Neji unclenched his jaws and let go of Shikamaru's hand. They locked eyes for a moment, then Neji looked away. "Thanks for your support." He muttered in a hoarse voice.

Shikamaru smiled. "You're welcome." He said.

Ino rolled her eyes. "If the two of you keep acting like that, one would think you were lovers." She said disapprovingly. "I'm going to disinfect the wound, so this might sting."

"One could say the same about you and Sakura, Ino." Shikamaru commented dryly, looking as if he was completely unmoved by Ino's comment.

Neji glared at Ino, a slight blush once again visible on his face. "Just hurry it up, please." He said. "I'm getting cold and my leg hurts. I would just like to go to bed."

"Understandable." Ino said and smiled up at Neji, then continued dabbing antiseptic at the wound on Neji's leg. "You didn't scream. Impressive, Hyuuga. For that I think you deserve the night off."

Shikamaru chuckled. "If only it were that simple." He said, then sighed. "None of us really get the night off. But I can give you the first shift so you can go to bed early."

Shikamaru folded his hands behind his head. It was two a.m; the guard shift he took over from Neji had ended an hour ago, but he found that he couldn't sleep. Beside him he heard the loud snoring of Lee and Neji's soft breathing. With a sigh he turned to his side, trying to ignore the direction his mind was going. His effort proved fruitless.

It had been a week since that night at the Hyuuga compound, but during this entire mission there hadn't been any time to talk. After that night, they had been too busy with their mission and from then on, whenever they were together, there was always someone else present.

Shikamaru found that this bothered him. It surprised him to notice that he desired, for the first time in his life, to be really alone with another person. The fact that he couldn't frustrated him.

And then there was the shower incident. Shikamaru groaned and buried his head in his pillow. For this entire week he had been trying to forget about this, but his treacherous, genius mind had remembered every detail, every curve of Neji's body that he had seen that day. By day he was able to fend off his fantasies about his boyfriend, but at night, when there was no strategy to distract him and no team-mate to speak to, his fantasy assaulted him with images of what his lover would look like when he stopped being shy.

These images, now fuelled by today's discovery of what Neji looked like when every muscle in his body was tensed, made it almost too easy for Shikamaru's fantasy to come up with the most lewd scenarios. Shikamaru's body, of course, acted accordingly.

Shikamaru groaned again. He was sorely tempted to sneak out of the tent and relieve the sexual tension that had built up over the past seven days, but he knew that doing so would seriously jeopardise the mission. There was no telling he would be called upon as a team captain. And there was also the chance that he might wake someone and tarnish his reputation, which was also something that was not to be taken lightly.

He rolled over in his bed again and tried his very best to think of Chouji in a speedo, but his thoughts kept going back to Neji. The way he had arched his back, those little moan-like sounds he had uttered while trying to keep quiet...

Shikamaru's right hand slid down his body, almost as if it were an unconscious act. He turned to his side and slid his fingers across his inner thigh, imagining them to be Neji's fingers touching him, feeling up his legs and getting closer to-

"Shikamaru, what on earth are you doing." a scornful voice whispered in the darkness. "You're tossing and turning so much that I can't sleep."

Shikamaru jumped at the sound of Neji's voice, suddenly very aware of his predicament and guiltily conscious that this was the person he had been so busily fantasizing about. "N-neji..." he whispered hoarsely. "It's... it's nothing. I couldn't sleep."

Neji's chuckle sent a shiver up Shikamaru's spine. "I noticed." he said. "But what's keeping you up?"

Shikamaru didn't reply. His mind was offering him many different excuses, but none of them sufficed to excuse his actions in the last few minutes. All he managed to squeeze out of his throat was "ehm..."

Neji chuckled again. "Guilty conscience, Shikamaru?" He joked. "Were you planning to do something... dirty?"

"Shh!" Shikamaru hissed. "What if Lee hears? Or Chouji? Or worse, Ino or Ten-ten?"

"Ten-ten is fast asleep in her tent, as well you know." Neji remarked. "And Chouji and Ino are out patrolling, so they don't have time to keep an eye -or an ear- out for us. As for Lee... you could shoot a gun at him and he wouldn't wake up. So relax a little, will you?"

"Funny that _you_ should say that, Hyuuga." Shikamaru growled. "You're the one who's always as tense as a cat in a dog pound."

Shikamaru swore he could hear Neji pout and grinned to himself in the dark. That should teach the bastard to behave around him. Neji might have been older, but Shikamaru was smarter and then both knew it.

"You may be right about that." Neji admitted after a short moment of silence. "But even so... I'm not the one waking his team-mates up with the noise of..."

"I wasn't doing anything." Shikamaru hissed angrily. "I was _trying_ to get to sleep. Will you stop harassing me already?"

"Gee, relax. I was only teasing." Neji sighed. "Sorry."

Shikamaru said nothing. After a while he heard something rustle, suggesting that Neji had just turned around. "... Neji?" he spoke hesitantly.

"Yes?" came the reply from the darkness on the other side of the tent.

"... I love you."

"... love you too."

-to be continued-


End file.
